Riding the Elephants

There is an elephant village literally one minute from the house we are staying at so we decided to check it out yesterday. The last time we tried to ride the elephants in Thailand I was VERY pregnant with Zeb and it was my mom and dad's first time to Thailand. I wasn't planning on riding at all but we had hoped that Kayleigh would ride with them. That didn't happen after an elephant's trunk came over her shoulder and scared her to death because the elephant thought she was holding a banana. So when the time came for her to get on the elephant with my parents she was not going to do it. I was hoping for a more successful trip this time and I was really pleased. Kayleigh and Zeb both rode the elephants and loved it! The elephants walked through a pretty deep river while we were on their backs which was really cool. Cool for us but not the guy in front of us because his wallet fell out of his pocket deep in the the muddy disgusting water. However, I was quite impressed when the Thai guy dove right in and fished out his wallet with no problem. 

John and I thought this sign was hilarious! How do you park in the car?

Layla excited about snack time!

We have been teaching Layla to communicate with us through some simple baby sign language. She really gets excited when we understand her. She also likes crackers.

11 Months

Our little Layla is 11 months old now. She can pull up on things and cruise around where she wants to go. She hasn't gotten the nerve up to let go so no first steps yet. We have spent the past week keeping her away from the pool and from eating the ants. We have an awesome outdoor kitchen and eating area where we are staying. The downside is with kids we have lots of food left under the table. Before I can sweep it, the ants are out in full force trying to collect the food and so is Layla. She is actually interested in trying to get the ants as well! When Layla gets super excited her whole body shakes. The picture below is her excited/shaking in action. I can't believe she will be one in a month!

This "cage" we created with the chairs was an attempt to keep her out of the pool. At first she thought it was a fun idea but it didn't last long. 

While on Vacation.....

We have eaten lots and lots of ice cream!

Spent almost the whole day in the pool!

Or lounging by the pool!

Swung on our swing.

Loved on the grandchildren.

We Made It!

Well we made it safely to Thailand with no major problems. I found out about a day before we left that some friends of ours were going to be on the same flight I was to Thailand. They were able to help me out a ton with the kids on the flight. I was especially thankful when I realized that it was impossible to take Kayleigh and Zeb to the bathroom on the plane with Layla. I couldn't just leave her in the seat while I took them to the bathroom. I was so thankful for Aaron and Stacey for holding Layla while I helped the older two. When we landed in Thailand we anxiously waited for John to arrive at our set meeting point. I wasn't too worried because he was able to call me the night before I left our house to tell me he made it to Thailand. My parents landed that night but my kids were in bed. When they woke up the next morning they were greeted by my parents. They were so excited! Zeb kept telling my dad "Papa it has been so long!" My parents brought our Christmas presents over, so for the second year in a row we had Christmas in January. After the morning of opening some presents we left Bangkok to head down to the house we are staying at in Hua Hin.

My mom holding Layla for the first time since she was two months old!

Zeb got a Lighting McQueen laptop for Christmas.

Kayleigh got a kids digital camera! 

Thailand here we come!

I am sitting here tonight wishing that tomorrow was Sunday and that I was getting on a plane to Thailand. I have spent the whole week being a single parent since John was on a 5 day trip. He walked in the door last night at 7pm and left again tonight at 7pm. This time to DRIVE to Thailand. Yes, in a temporary moment of insanity I agreed to let him drive with his good friend Daniel to Thailand while I flew with our three kids by myself. I would have never agreed but I couldn't say no when I saw the look on his face. It was like a little boy in a candy store. He has been talking about this trip for months. He is SO excited about it.  I hope he has a great time. I am just praying that he doesn't get stuck in Laos somewhere. He keeps promising me that when I land on Sunday morning he will be there to greet me. I sure hope so. If he doesn't show then I only have to wait till that night when my parents arrive to get some help. We haven't seen them in about 8 months so we are really excited. Kayleigh has been counting down the days.

 It has been a long week. So long in fact that Zeb came up with a "pretend daddy". He would tell me things like "Mommy pretend daddy is sitting next me at breakfast". He would call out something during the day and I would say "Buddy, daddy isn't here." and he would respond "I was just talking to pretend daddy." So I don't think I am the only member of my family ready to be reunited together again. So only one more day and then we leave bright and early at 6am! I'm just ready. Ready for warmth, rest, family, and fun.

Meet our bride from outer space and our ninja warrior!

We just got a package with a lot of bubble wrap in it. John and the kids decided to make fun costumes out of the bubble wrap. Kayleigh wanted to be a bride from outer space and Zeb was a ninja. Below are some fun pictures of them playing.

Zeb's Thomas Shave

My Mom gave Zeb a Thomas the Train shaving kit for his birthday back when he was two. I put it away thinking that we needed to wait till he was older for him to use it. The other day I was in the cabinet looking for something and found it. I showed it to Zeb and he got really excited. He wanted his Daddy to show him how to shave. So John got him in the bathroom last night and gave him a little demonstration on how to shave. Zeb loved it and you could tell he felt like he was a little man. He calls it his Thomas shave. This little guy is just so cute.